Seizures affecting speech

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Booboo982

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I have been having problems with my seizures over the past few weeks to a month. I went to see my GP about them as I'm not due to see my neurologist til August. I mentioned to him that I have been having difficulties with my speech. He told me that the seizures were causing it. I have 2 forms of Epilepsy, Focal Epilepsy and Secondary Generalisation.

I'm just wondrring if anyone has experienced anything similar. My GP increased my Zonisamide from 200mg daily to 300mg daily and is trying to get me in to see my neurologist before August as he thinks I need I review sooner than we thought, it scares me as I never thought this would happen only 7 months after being diagnosed.
 
What kinds of speech issues are you having? Are you unable to speak altogether, or do you have problems finding words? If it's the latter, the Zonisamide might be the culprit, since that's one of the side effects it had for me.

Keep track of when the speech problems occur. Do certain triggers seem to bring the speech problems on? Do they occur at certain times of day and/or when you are fatigued? Also keep track of whether the dosage increase helps or make things worse.
 
I stumble on my words and it can happen at any time during the day. It has only happened in the last month and I've been on Zonisamide since Febuary.
 
I have JME and I 'sputtter' and 'stutter' and lose words, sometimes slurring them.... might be myoclonus?
 
I don't think I stutter but I can't speak at all during seizures. I can think the words I wan't to say but they just don't come out of my mouth. I do stumble over the words before the seizure really begins. I also stumble sometimes during the day. Maybe they are absence seizures? I am not diagnosed yet but both my neuro and GP mentioned absence seizures. Do you know if you have that?
 
Absence seizures don't usually have speech effects -- they only last a few seconds, and the person tends to be unaware that they've happened. But the stuttering could be a complex partial seizure. Can you stop it after it starts, or do you just have to wait until it passes?
 
When I have an absence seizure it can last upto 10 minutes, I am completely unaware it's happening and come out of them confused and quite often turn aggressiveas I don't know what has happened. I have to wait for the stuttering to pass I can't stop it mid flow so to speak.
 
If it lasts that long its more probably a complex partial seizure not an absence seizure, especially with the post-seizure confusion and aggression. Has the Zonisamide increase helped?
 
I hope it helps, and that things go perfectly on your wedding day. :)
 
I usually 'burble' my words out and stutter. I am usually pretty articulate. It is like my brain knows what to say but my mouth doesn't want to get it out. I have to stop and say nothing then have another go. Sometimes I just give up.
 
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